American Lady
Vanessa virginiensis (Drury, 1773)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside with uneven brown, yellow, and orange pattern. Forewing with a black apical patch, a small white spot in the orange field below the patch, and a white bar at the leading edge of the forewing. Underside of hindwing with two large eyespots. Winter form is smaller and paler, summer form larger with brighter coloring.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 5/8 inches (4.5 - 6.7 cm).
Life History: During the afternoon, males perch on hilltops or on low vegetation if there are no hills. Females lay eggs singly on the top of host plant leaves. Caterpillars are solitary, living and feeding in a nest of leaves tied with silk. Adults hibernate.
Flight: Three to four broods from May-November, all year in the Deep South and South Texas. It is not known if adults can survive very cold winters; the East may have to be recolonized each year by southern migrants.
Caterpillar Hosts: Plants in the sunflower family everlasting (Gnaphalium obtusifolium), pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), plantain-leaved pussy toes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), wormwood (Artemisia), ironweed (Vernonia), and burdock (Arctium).
Adult Food: Flower nectar almost exclusively, including dogbane, aster, goldenrod, marigold, selfheal, common milkweed, and vetch.
Habitat: Open places with low vegetation including dunes, meadows, parks, vacant lots, forest edges.
Range: Resident in the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America south to Colombia. Migrates to and temporarily colonizes the northern United States, southern Canada, the West Indies, and Europe. Rare stray to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Conservation: Not required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 11774 verified sightings
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Observation date: Jun 02, 2024
Submitted by: dcs8815
Region: Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: Gwiggins
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_7609_1.jpeg?itok=ilVWNW6R)
Observation date: Jun 24, 2024
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 28, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/amlady.jpg?itok=kAvXAO_r)
Observation date: Apr 10, 2024
Submitted by: vogelbild
Region: Kane County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 28, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/aaece893-c947-497d-8b6c-620845bdcb3f.jpeg?itok=UoVKm73C)
Observation date: Jun 25, 2024
Submitted by: Flagstaff123
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 26, 2024
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Observation date: Jun 22, 2024
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: Fayette County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 23, 2024
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Observation date: May 21, 2024
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 23, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_7113.jpeg?itok=5rBZ1n3C)
Observation date: Jun 19, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 22, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/american_lady_jm_beach_5-29-24.jpg?itok=DvYVL5Ha)
Observation date: May 29, 2024
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 22, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/amerlady061424pinefrd.jpg?itok=ZEcwrGoo)
Observation date: Jun 14, 2024
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 15, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/american_lady_maki_sri_2.jpg?itok=rJfpK-r7)
Observation date: May 30, 2024
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Santa Rosa Island County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 14, 2024
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Observation date: Jun 13, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 14, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/american_lady_maki_2.jpg?itok=o90_XzcK)
Observation date: May 27, 2024
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 10, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/americanlady060924soulejoule.jpg?itok=f8c7xQnB)
Observation date: Jun 09, 2024
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Marin County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 10, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/vanessa_virginiensis_240608_sf_img_9662.jpg?itok=Vq3P-EbC)
Observation date: Jun 08, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 10, 2024
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Observation date: Jun 01, 2024
Submitted by: Jonathan Coffin
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 06, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0233_0.jpeg?itok=OT9vCkn-)
Observation date: Jun 05, 2024
Submitted by: Bunji
Region: Wayne County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 05, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/american_lady_vanessa_virginiensis_jtf_7744.jpg?itok=f9y8z6U5)
Observation date: May 26, 2024
Submitted by: John Terpstra
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 02, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/american_lady_bear_canyon_5-30-24.jpg?itok=J6nMnE25)
Observation date: May 30, 2024
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 02, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0573_0.jpeg?itok=k8kBk0pT)
Observation date: May 26, 2024
Submitted by: Eddie Wyatt
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: May 29, 2024
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Observation date: Oct 01, 2022
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 23, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/amer_lady.jpg?itok=YtiRHbOW)
Observation date: Jul 18, 2023
Submitted by: DVL
Region: Halifax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/americanladybutterfly-1.jpg?itok=0ZreOCuI)
Observation date: Aug 24, 2023
Submitted by: Margie Labadie
Region: Accomack County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/american_lady_june-24-1.jpg?itok=duFtYMGD)
Observation date: Jun 24, 2023
Submitted by: Margie Labadie
Region: Accomack County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
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